Chapter 2

10/05/2019 - New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side.

[ Aya Millenis' Vision]

" - What the hell is up with your family? They not only disrespect me, but they make me their toy, I make others a toy, I don't want to be one! - Livius I speaks to Nike."

"Are you going to miss the schedule, Aya?" I turn my attention away from the large glass screen attached to the water green wall when I hear my older sister's voice. 

I stare at her for a few seconds without understanding, she just raised her eyebrows without saying a word to me, and as if a light shining in the back of my mind I remember school, I look at the clock on the wall and see it marking seven-five in the morning, I stare wide-eyed, I've been watching this anime all night and I haven't even done my homework and I only have twenty-five minutes to get to school.

"Oh, shit!" I curse in a low voice, but my sister's eardrums are sharp, this is not normal.

"Watch your mouth Aya, or I'll tell mommy," she threatens me and leaves the room.

As the years have gone by, my sister and I no longer have anything in common, we used to be friends, but today our relationship is just a matter of nagging - most of which comes from her - I don't know if I have done something to have sunk our little sister's complicity. But anyway, if I did something, she should have told me, and since she didn't, I won't ask.

With pain in my heart I turn off the TV, yesterday I started to w*tch the anime "Soredemo Sekai w* utsukushii", it's about a young king, who is barely out of diapers, he marries a princess from another kingdom much older than him and on top of that she has the power to make it rain when she sings, and her voice is very beautiful.

I run to the bathroom in my room and don't even take a shower, I just splash some water on my face and brush my teeth, I get my uniform, the blouse is navy blue and the skirt is black, it goes to a little above the knees. I go back to the bedroom and get my backpack and the headphones that were on the bed.

I love them, they have two little blue cat ears, for me this is the best color in the world, I let my hair down and pass through the door going to the hallway that will take me to the living room, there is no one there, my parents have already gone to work and my sister must surely have gone to college.

I leave the house, the school is eight blocks away, I hurry my steps, walking while listening to music is relaxing, I have a peculiar taste for music, I like to listen to anime, anime raps to be more exact, I've never found anyone besides me who likes that. But anyway, that's what I like and that's it.

I am not very sociable, I don't have any friends, strange isn't it? But after certain events I prefer to stay away from girls, they are false and only think about themselves.

I don't have any male friends, I'm too ugly for anyone to even want it to be friendship. But this fact did not prevent me from keeping a secret passion for five years. I met him at a social party at the company where my parents work, I was already twelve years old, I fell in love with him and two years later, he was transferred to the same school as me, I just jumped for joy in the middle of the class. But I contained myself.

He is great at sports and draws the attention of all the girls, they practically drool when he passes, but also, with the physique he has developed it is almost impossible not to admire him.

A few weeks ago I plucked up the courage to propose to him, we were in the hallway, it was the end of classes, almost everyone had left. I looked like a tomato but I put into words everything that I had kept for five years. I will never forget the look in his eyes, cold... He turned and walked away without saying a word to me.

I can't hold back the tears and they fall thickly down my face.

Suzana appeared with several other girls, all wearing their uniforms much shorter than allowed, she paraded in her shoes and stopped beside me, she said that Leandro was too much area for my wheelbarrow, she and the others laughed. I ran out of there and went home, these are memories I don't like to remember.

I decide to run, there are still three blocks to go, I look at the clock and there are six minutes left, I need to hurry. When I arrive the gate is almost closing, the doorman is talking to someone but he sees me running and again opens the gate talking:

"Oops, another one who almost misses the schedule."

I enter the school and suck in as much air as my nostrils allow.

"Good morning Mr. Mouares" I speak nicely

"Good morning, Miss Millenis, better hurry up" he says and I know he is absolutely right.

I hate being late, I have to hurry before the teacher arrives and asks for the activity, I don't want to get a red note just because I overdid the anime dose.

"I will!" I say as I catch my breath.

I don't have time to waste, with my head down I run frantically up the stairs, I felt that there was someone else there, but I didn't have time to see and ended up passing by without even saying hello to the person who was there. I know it was rude of me, but I really need to hurry. A low grade is not something my parents can accept. They always tell me that if I have anything it is thanks to them, and that the least I can do is honor them in every way possible.

I run into my classroom and sit down in my chair, I like to sit in the first chair in the last row near the window. I take my notebook out of my backpack and do the activity as fast as possible, it's pretty easy, I always got high grades in math and any subject that needed math.

When I finish the last question I start to put my material away, I feel someone poking me with the tip of a pen. I look back and am met with big green eyes and short blond hair that goes just to the chin in a chanel cut.

"I saw that you did the math activity, I want the answers now," she says giving me an "order.

I look at her with my best disdainful face, you have to be kidding. She is the most popular girl in the class, maybe even in the school, her beauty doesn't go unnoticed by anyone and her clothes are always pink, she is definitely in love with pink.

 But I try to control the hate that wants to come out of my mouth, I take a deep breath and to Suzana I just answer:

"No"  really thick, with that I put the notebook back in my backpack.

"Don't forget that I am a very close friend of Leandro's and that ..."

Her speech is interrupted by the teacher's entrance.

"-What did she mean by a very close friend?" - I snap out of my thoughts as I hear the voice of the professor who is now talking about the summer ball.

The last summer ball, it will be held in two weeks, I will probably not attend it either. I never have a date... Am I that ugly? Thinking about it makes me sad, knowing that everyone considers me ugly and strange is depressing. I take refuge in my animes and that's it. There I am not judged and I am not charged. It is perfect.

The classes went by quickly, the first five hours have already flown by and now it's time for lunch. The cafeteria is on the first floor, and with lazy steps I go down the stairs again. But at the last step I am surprised, Leandro is standing right in front of me and is looking at me, and his gaze is not as cold as before.

"I need to talk to you," he pronounces in his hoarse voice.

"W..what?"  I feel my fingertips freeze and my heart quicken a little.